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Join WordPress guest host, Chief of Staff and Head of Operations, Chloé Bringmann, and special guest Head of Programs and Contributor Experience, Angela Jin, in the 58th episode of the WordPress Briefing as they discuss the next generation of WordCamps.

Credits

Show Notes

• WordCamp Europe 2023 Keynote
• Establishment of a formal WordPress Sustainability Team
• WordPress 6.4 Development Cycle Announced
• WCUS – Still looking for volunteers
• The Next Generation of WordCamps
• Idea generation: Next Gen WordCamps!
• Discussion: Next Generation Event Tooling
• Twenty Years of WordPress at WCEU
• Contributor Handbook

Transcript

(Intro music)

[Chloé Bringmann 00:00:10] 

Hello, everyone, and welcome to the WordPress Briefing, the podcast where you can catch quick explanations of the ideas behind the WordPress open source project, some insight into the community that supports it, and get a small list of big things coming up in the next two weeks. I’m your guest host Chloé Bringmann. And here we go.

(Intro music)

[Chloé Bringmann 00:00:40] 

So I have the privilege of guest hosting this episode of the WordPress Briefing. And today I have with me a very special guest. The Head of Programs and Contributor Experience, Angela Jin. Welcome. Before we dive into all the questions, can you tell me and our listeners a little bit about your role in the WordPress community?

[Angela Jin 00:01:01] 

Yeah, happy to, and thank you so much for having me. I’m very excited to be here. I am the Head of Programs and Contributor Experience, and I provide oversight and guidance for our WordPress programs, such as our events programs, training, and Five for the Future, with an eye toward ensuring their sustainability and growth. I’m very fortunate to work with our contributors across many teams around the world. In addition to troubleshooting and helping folks figure out how to move forward, I also spend a good amount of time exploring with others what could be in our programs.

[Chloé Bringmann 00:01:41] 

We just got back from WordCamp Europe in Athens, Greece. It was such an energizing event for me, but I’m curious about what your impressions were of the past week.

[Angela Jin 00:01:52] 

Yeah, it was fantastic. I’m always really inspired by what a group of like-minded people can achieve together. There’s a lot of passion for this particular WordCamp, and it made for a really wonderful WordPress experience. Full of lots of great connections and memories; I have a million follow-ups and probably even more thoughts to reflect on. So it’s great. There were a lot of new WordPressers there. So it was lovely to meet them. And I’m really excited to see how many exciting new projects and ideas that we have in the space.

[Chloé Bringmann 00:02:27] 

Same, you said it perfectly. Josepha also mentioned in the flagship’s keynote, the proposal for the next generation of WordCamps. I’m curious about what the main ideas and goals, as discussed thus far, are of that proposal.

[Angela Jin 00:02:42] 

For sure. So WordCamps have been fundamental for the WordPress community for a very long time. And while they have continued to grow larger and reach more places around the world, it’s also undeniable that the way that people meet has changed since 2006. 

[Angela Jin 00:03:01] 

And so, just as WordPress itself iterates we’re looking at iterating on WordCamps so that they move from fundamental to indispensable for the WordPressers of today and tomorrow. So event attendees today are looking to learn essential skills, make connections that lead to neat opportunities, and more. 

[Angela Jin 00:03:23] 

So to that end, we put forth an updated purpose for our events, which is that WordPress events spark innovation and adoption by way of accessible training and networking for users, builders, designers, and extenders. We celebrate community by accelerating 21st-century skills, professional opportunities, and partnerships for WordPressers of today and tomorrow. 

[Angela Jin 00:03:47]

So the goal here is to create events that are more clearly defined – who these are for what you will gain from attending. We are looking to see events that take a deeper dive into content, or topics and provide more advanced content. And let’s try out some different formats and see how that shapes our event experience. And so it is a big shift. And change is always hard. 

[Angela Jin 00:04:13]

However, the feedback that I’ve gotten so far, and certainly at WordCamp Europe, is that this is a very welcome evolution. And the Community team has already received over 60 proposals. So I’m very excited about that. In fact, a WordPress Community Day in Rome has already been announced and is focused on providing meet-up organizing and community management skills. So that’s pretty cool.

 [Chloé Bringmann 00:04:37] 

Wow, that’s incredible. I love that we’ve gotten 60 suggestions already and that we already have an event in place. That’s fantastic. In that blog post, too, it’s mentioned that WordCamps should prioritize inclusivity and diversity. How can organizers ensure these values are upheld in the next generation of WordCamps and beyond events? Into our day-to-day project involvement?

[Angela Jin 00:05:04]

Excellent question. So while WordCamps themselves are changing, some of our core values, like prioritizing inclusivity and diversity, are non-negotiable. For the whole project, we have a diversity, equity, and inclusion statement, and a Code of Conduct that lays out how we expect our community to engage with each other in this space. 

[Angela Jin 00:05:27]

And on top of that, our programs do focus on providing resources and training like how to create a diverse speaker roster. And we have diverse speaker training workshops on how to organize a diverse and inclusive WordPress event. And we also have a great list of third-party resources as well. And so, with so many events, we create a lot of opportunities to grow as a visible contributor, whether it is a speaker, a volunteer, or an organizer. 

[Angela Jin 00:05:56]

And so with the next generation of events, we could more intentionally create these spaces for groups that historically have been underrepresented. Even long before my post went live, the BlackPress meetup group, for example, wanted to create an event that connected with historically black colleges and universities. And an event like that that really invites a specific group to learn all about WordPress would be a really great experience and a wonderful way to celebrate that community and a great connection to the broader community so that we can intentionally get to the diversity that we want to see. 

[Angela Jin 00:06:38]

And I also want to add that the people who are underrepresented in our community are more likely to need financial sponsorship. And so even though we do keep our ticket prices low so that our events are more easily accessible, the cost of travel continues to increase, not to mention the time and energy required to participate in these events. So an excellent way that companies can help is to sponsor somebody’s time and somebody’s contributions, which we’re always trying to encourage through the Five for the Future program.

[Chloé Bringmann 00:07:11] 

Beautiful. So, with that in mind, how do you foresee the next generation of WordCamps impacting the WordPress community, that larger ecosystem? So, what changes do you hope to see regarding community engagement, learning opportunities, and best practices?

[Angela Jin 00:07:31]

I foresee us evolving our tried and true event format into a dynamic wealth of community-led opportunities. I know that online events were pretty exhausting during the worst of the pandemic, but there is a ton of unexplored opportunities there. And community research is also showing that online is a great way to create more inclusive and diverse events. 

[Angela Jin 00:07:58]

The Training team, with their learn WordPress online workshops, have really led the way with our online events. And there are so many more people that we can reach there. 

[Angela Jin 00:08:08]

And so in addition to providing more advanced content, I also hope to see content around broader tech and business trends that influence WordPress, and conversely, how WordPress can shape those trends as well. And with all of that, I really hope that we can bring in more community members that otherwise wouldn’t be interested in what we currently offer, especially a younger generation that will help us drive the next generation of WordPress, the open source project.

[Chloé Bringmann 00:08:39]

Very excited to hear all of this, and I bet our listeners are too. I’m curious how they and community members can provide feedback or get involved with this next generation of WordCamps.

[Angela Jin 00:08:50]

I’m going to encourage everyone, please come chat with the Community team and comment on the current posts. We really welcome your feedback to help us get our events to this next iteration of what they will become. There are two posts, in particular, one is to suggest ideas of event formats and topics that you would like to see. And the second is if you are an organizer, we’re inviting you to hear some recommendations for improved tooling that would be helpful for your event site. And we’ll include links to those posts in the show notes.

[Chloé Bringmann 00:09:26]

One final question for you, Angela. Any thoughts as we prepare for WordCamp US and the Community Summit, which will be in National Harbor, Maryland, in August?

[Angela Jin 00:09:37]

For the Community Summit in particular, if you want to attend and you haven’t already applied, please please do make sure to apply as soon as possible. And encourage somebody else who you think should attend to apply as well. 

[Angela Jin 00:09:53]

And if financial constraints are a blocker, we are aiming to help with the cost of hotel and or flight. And so one way to help support the diversity and inclusion of this event, and really to the whole project, is to also contribute to the Community Summit travel fund. You can find information about all of that on the Community Summit site. 

[Angela Jin 00:10:15]

And next, if you have a topic in mind that you think needs to be discussed at the Community Summit, please please also share that information with us as well. And last but not least, I am, I am so excited. I’m not going to spoil anything. But I have been working with the WordCamp US organizing team and looking at some of what they have planned and some of the content. It’s going to be a truly incredible event, so don’t miss out.

[Chloé Bringmann 00:010:41]

Oh, wonderful. Thank you so much for joining me, Angela. And I can’t wait to see you and the WordPress community in August in person.

[Chloé Bringmann 00:010:58]

Which brings us now to our small list of big things. First up is the proposal and establishment of a new WordPress contributor team, the Sustainability team. Coming into WordCamp Europe, a proposal was put forward to create a team that would embed sustainable practices and processes in the ecosystem to ensure the Project’s longevity, both socially, economically, and as well environmentally. At WordCamp Europe, this proposal was confirmed, and the Sustainability team is now officially the 22nd contributor team that WordPressers can support with their contributions. Head on over to their making WordPress Slack channel, #sustainability, and join the conversation. 

[Chloé Bringmann 00:011:39]

Second, I would like to call your attention to the 6.4 development cycle post that was published on June 5th. 6.4 will be the third major release of 2023 and supports our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts by being led by those contributors that identify as underrepresented gender. This release will also be the first to kick off phase three of the Gutenberg roadmap, which is collaborative editing and workflows. I’ve included a link to the post in our show notes and encourage anyone who is interested in being part of this momentous release to join us in making this both impactful and meaningful. 

[Chloé Bringmann 00:012:16]

Finally, WordCamp US, as discussed, will be upon us before we know it starting on August 24th at National Harbor, Maryland. While tickets may be sold out, volunteers are still very much needed to make the flagship event run smoothly. So stop by us.wordcamp.org, raise your hand, and join us in August for engagement, inspiration, and learning. And that, my friends, is your small list of big things. I’m your guest host Chloé Bringmann and thank you for tuning in today for the WordPress Briefing.

Since we first started offering premium plugins directly from the WordPress.com marketplace one year ago, we’ve been busy making sure you have direct access to the highest-quality plugins serving the WordPress ecosystem. These enhancements to your site add important features, eye-popping audio and visual elements, and a big helping of convenience for you and your potential customers.

Each plugin comes with automatic updates and premium support, ensuring you’re well-equipped for your website’s journey. 

Check out our top 15 new and noteworthy offerings below. They might just be the game-changers your site needs! 

Sensei Pro

Sensei Pro is a premium plugin for WordPress that enables you to create, manage, and sell online courses. It provides a comprehensive suite of tools for creating engaging course content, tracking student progress, and assessing their performance. With its intuitive interface, customizable options, and comprehensive features, Sensei Pro is an ideal choice for creators and educators looking to grow their online knowledge business.

WooCommerce Product Bundles

One of the keys to retail success is giving customers exactly what they want. One way to do that is to let shoppers create their own personalized product bundles and bulk discount packages. They’ll know that you are the place to get their custom one-of-a-kind backpacks, mix-and-match smart phone accessories, or built-just-for-them computers. Whatever you sell, Product Bundles will make your customers feel special. Included at no extra charge in our commerce plan.

Gravity Forms

Millions of WordPress businesses and web professionals know that Gravity Forms is the powerhouse solution for building custom forms. Going beyond the simple contact form, Gravity Forms unlocks your ability to handle registrations, subscriptions, donations, sales, and more, all with advanced features like file uploads, conditional logic, and automation based on user interactions. 

Events Calendar Pro

Easily create and manage an events calendar on your WordPress site. Whether your events are in-person or virtual, this WordPress calendar plugin boasts professional features backed by a world-class team of developers and designers.

AutomateWoo

Imagine if you had the power to automate processes based on your customer’s actions on your site. What if you could trigger an offer to get a discount on the product they just added to their cart, if they also add an accessory to the cart, but only if their total is above $50? This is the kind of power AutomateWoo puts directly in your hands. AutomateWoo provides powerful marketing automation for WooCommerce, providing you with the tools you need to grow your store and increase revenue. Included at no extra charge in our commerce plan.

WP Job Manager Add-Ons

Manage job listings from the WordPress dashboard and allow users to post job listings directly to your site. Now you can purchase any add-on on top of the free WP Job Manager plugin. Explore all the possibilities: Resume Manager, Applications, WC Paid Listings, Alerts, Bookmarks, Tags, Embeddable Job Widget, Application Deadline, Simple Paid Listings.

Astra Pro

Are you one of the millions of WordPress users that have designed their sites with the Astra theme? If you are, or are planning to switch to Astra, you should also consider the theme’s pro add-on, Astra Pro. While the Astra theme helps you create stunning websites, Astro Pro’s premium features and functionalities will take it to the next level! 

WooCommerce Gift Cards

Make gift-giving easy for your loyal customers and give new customers an exciting reason to try your store. Offer prepaid digital gift cards that customers can redeem online. The Gift Cards plugin makes the whole process delightful. Included at no extra charge in our commerce plan.

Visual Composer Premium

Visual Composer Website Builder is a drag and drop editor for WordPress. Design page and site layouts with premium templates, elements, and extensions. 

Presto Player Pro

Presto Player Pro extends the already popular Presto Player plugin with advanced features that make this the ultimate video player plugin for WordPress. It’s fast, flexible, and enables you to feature video from multiple sources, add calls to action, provide email opt-in elements, and more. 

Start Booking

Accept appointments and bookings right from your WordPress website with Start Booking. Not just limited to individual appointments, Start Booking also enables booking class scheduling and group events. Online payments, customer notifications, and mobile apps are just a few more of the features that Start Booking provides.

WPBakery Page Builder

A leading WordPress page builder plugin with drag and drop editor, design options, and two interfaces—a live frontend editor and a schematic backend editor.

WooCommerce Composite Products

With Composite Products, shoppers can configure and build their own custom products right on your site, selecting every wheel, nut, and bolt needed to make their dream creation.

WooCommerce Back In Stock Notifications

Don’t lose customers because you ran out of stock for their favorite products! Bring them back with Back In Stock Notifications and let customers know when your products are restocked. Build brand loyalty, stay connected with customers, and recover lost sales. It’s customizable, extendible, and even works with variable products. Included at no extra charge in our commerce plan.

WooCommerce Conditional Shipping and Payments

Use conditional logic to restrict the shipping and payment options available on your store. This plugin allows you to make free shipping available per product, category, or shipping class. It can also restrict shipping methods and live rates based on package weight, item count, or cart total.

How often do you consider the domain name when deciding the credibility of a website? Do you know how a domain-specific email address could influence your communication with clients or followers?

Few things convey your brand’s identity like a carefully selected custom domain, and in our newest webinar, “Mastering Custom Domains,” we aim to eliminate any uncertainties around incorporating this crucial element into your WordPress site.

In this session you can expect to learn about:

• Choosing and registering a custom domain that amplifies your brand and boosts credibility
• Connecting your domain to your WordPress.com site for a seamless user experience and improved SEO
• Employing best practices for domain management, email setup, and more

This free webinar is perfect for everyone, from beginners to experienced WordPress users. The session concludes with a live Q&A segment, so come prepared with your questions!

We’re offering the webinar at three different times this week only, well-spaced so that any timezone around the world should find a convenient option: 

• Tuesday, June 13 at 7:00 PM UTC / 3:00 PM ET (convert to your timezone)
• Wednesday, June 14 at 9:00 AM UTC / 5:00 AM ET (convert to your timezone)
• Thursday, June 15 at 4:00 PM UTC / 12:00 PM ET (convert to your timezone)

Mark your calendar for these other upcoming webinars

Don’t miss our other webinars for June, where we’ll guide you through the powerful capabilities of the WordPress Site Editor. Both are designed to equip you with the tools needed to enhance your website’s functionality and aesthetics in ways that were not possible before.

Site Editor vs. Page Editor: Editing your entire site in WordPress

In this in-depth session, we will walk you through the process of modifying every aspect of your WordPress site, from the header to the footer. With the new Site Editor tools, total site customization is now within your grasp, even if you’ve never written a line of code.

Site Editing: Custom Headers

We take a deep dive into how you can customize your site header to reflect your brand’s persona, making it more attractive and easy to navigate. An effective header is crucial in establishing your online identity, and our experts will show you how to edit it with ease using the WordPress.com Site Editor.

All our WordPress.com webinars are presented live and designed for site owners of all levels in mind. Whether you’re just starting out or already have some WordPress experience under your belt. We wrap up each hour-long session with a live Q&A, offering you a chance to interact directly with our experts.

Be sure to bring all your website-related questions and an eagerness to learn. See you there! 

Inspiring the global community

The atmosphere was electric at WordCamp Europe (WCEU) 2023 in Athens, Greece, as WordPress celebrated its 20th anniversary and the opportunity to gather in person for inspiration and engagement. More than 2,500 individuals from 94 countries came together in person or through the live stream to participate in a remarkable three-day event (plus Contributor Day) filled with talks, networking, and learning opportunities. The event concluded on June 10 with a captivating keynote address by WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg, Executive Director Josepha Haden Chomphosy, and Gutenberg Product Architect Matías Ventura, who highlighted the advancements and upcoming milestones of the WordPress Project.

One significant update shared during the keynote was the successful reactivation of WordCamps. This time last year, we organized eight in-person WordCamps, and by the end of 2022, the number had risen to 23. Thanks to the enthusiasm and involvement of the WordPress community, we are already on track to organize 25 WordCamps in the first half of this year alone. 

Josepha also emphasized the importance of the upcoming Community Summit on August 22-23. This in-person gathering brings contributors together across the WordPress open source project, fostering cross-project discussions vital for future growth and sustainability. For more information, visit the official Community Summit website.

Discussing the Five for the Future (5ftF) program, Josepha highlighted the impressive growth in active contributors and company pledges over the past year. She also underscored the expansion of the WordPress ecosystem, citing examples like Openverse, which now provides access to nearly 800 million images and audio files, all easily accessible in the Site Editor. 

Another exciting addition to the WordPress repertoire is WP Playground. This new feature allows users to build WordPress applications instantly in the browser without needing a PHP server. This tool provides a swift and seamless experience, reducing the installation time from five minutes to a near-instantaneous 500 milliseconds. The application of WP Playground may seem like magic, but its practical application promises tangible and revolutionary benefits for WordPress users.

Matías Ventura then took the stage to share updates on Gutenberg. Through a visually stunning video built entirely with blocks, he showcased the six-year development journey and the transition from words to blocks to a final design. The upcoming WordPress version 6.3 will mark the completion of the first two phases of Gutenberg, consolidating all these features into a cohesive and user-friendly experience. He also highlighted the introduction of features such as the Wayfinder tool, Style Book, and the ability to save patterns, further empowering users to own their web presence and voice.

Following the keynote presentation, the WordPress leadership engaged in a lively Q&A session with the audience, further illustrating the continuous evolution within the WordPress Project. This session highlighted how the WordPress community innovates, iterates, and continually improves to create a better platform for today and tomorrow.

Join the global community and be part of the WordPress journey toward a brighter future!

Special thanks to @cbringmann and @eidolonnight for review and collaboration.

Reblogging is a way to show appreciation for another creator’s work while also providing your own audience with a valuable piece of news, work of art, or thought-provoking opinion. We recently made a few significant improvements to the experience of reblogging to make it more customizable for you while also ensuring the original creator gets the credit they deserve.

What’s new with reblogging

1. Freedom to choose your title 

You’ll now find the title field empty when you’re taken to the editor to reblog a piece of content. Rather than automatically using the original post’s title, you’re free to add your own flair. This allows you more creative freedom and reassures your audience (and the original creator) that you’re not simply passing off another person’s work as your own. 

2. No more default featured image

We’ve also changed the automatic import of the featured image. This helps avoid the appearance of content duplication while also helping you manage your site’s media storage limits more effectively. That doesn’t mean you’re stuck with text only, though — you can still add your own featured image to the reblogged post.

3. A new way to embed

Lastly, we’ve replaced the Quote Block with the core Embed Block for the post you’re reblogging. This change provides a more accurate representation of the original content and makes for a nice visual experience for your readers. Here’s what it looks like:

How do I reblog a post from the WordPress.com Reader?

Reblogging a post within the WordPress.com Reader is a simple process. Here’s how it works:

1. Navigate to the Reader by clicking on the “Reader” tab in your WordPress.com dashboard.

2. Browse through the posts until you find one you’d like to reblog. Click on the “Share” (arrow) button located at the bottom of the post.

3. Select the site that you’d like to reblog this post to.

4. You’ll be taken to the editor, where you can add your own title along with any additional thoughts or comments.

5. When you’re ready, click “Publish” to share the post on your own blog.

A more enjoyable experience for all

We believe these changes will make reblogging a more respectful and gratifying experience for everyone. As always, we’re eager to hear your thoughts. Try out the new process and let us know what you think!

Happy reblogging! 

Imagine being able to quickly generate all types of content—headlines, entire posts, even translations—with the click of a button. Imagine significantly reducing your effort and time spent staring at a blank screen. 

Say hello to Jetpack AI Assistant. 

Jetpack AI Assistant is seamlessly integrated as a block within the WordPress.com editor. (If your WordPress site is hosted elsewhere, the AI Assistant is also available through the Jetpack plugin.) This powerful new tool is still in the experimental phase, but here’s just a sampling of what it can already help you do. 

5 ways you can make writing a breeze with Jetpack AI Assistant 

Create customized content

Jetpack AI Assistant utilizes a conversational system so that you can “chat” with it in natural language. Enter a prompt, such as “Write a list of Tokyo’s must-visit destinations,” and watch as the Assistant crafts an engaging piece of content. Compelling blog posts, detailed pages, structured lists, and comprehensive tables can be created in seconds.

Perfect your spelling and grammar on the fly

Ensure your content always reflects professional standards with Jetpack AI Assistant’s spelling and grammar correction features.

Adjust your tone to match your audience 

Whether you’re aiming for formal or conversational, Jetpack AI Assistant can adjust the tone of your content to your goals and audience makeup. 

Find that perfect creative title

Struggling to find a good title that will really capture your audience’s attention? It can be the hardest part of writing a post! Jetpack AI Assistant has you covered by reading the text and then creating suitable and compelling headlines.

Translate your writing with a single click

The Jetpack AI Assistant can translate your text into numerous languages, allowing you to effortlessly reach across locales and cultures. 

And that’s just the start of what Jetpack AI Assistant can do.

Can this really be free? 

Yes, it can! For a limited time, Jetpack AI Assistant is free to use for all WordPress.com customers. 

Activate the block with the Inserter or the “/” command shortcut. (If you didn’t know, here’s a fun tip: Hit the “/” button while in the post or page editor and type the name of the block you’re looking for. In this case, it would be “AI.”) 

Your rocketship to seamless content creation  

This is just the beginning! We’re working to expand Jetpack AI Assistant’s capabilities, so stay tuned for even more exciting features in the coming weeks.

Try the AI Assistant today and discover an even more streamlined creative process in WordPress.com. 

May has been a month of celebrating WordPress and the open source community that makes it possible. In honor of the project’s 20th anniversary, WordPress Executive Director Josepha Haden Chomphosy reflected on this journey and the opportunity to build a better future for those who come after:

The more our community invests in itself and supports one another, the stronger WordPress and the open source software movement become.

Josepha Haden Chomphosy in Celebrating 20 Years of WordPress.

Read on for highlights of this milestone and the latest updates in the WordPress space.

WordPress at 20

May 27, 2023, marked the 20th anniversary of WordPress’ first release. Since its inception by Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little in 2003, the project has transformed the digital publishing landscape and enabled millions of people to craft their stories.

WordPress enthusiasts from all over the world gathered at more than 130 events to celebrate this important milestone. WP20’s commemorative book, Building Blocks: The Evolution of WordPress, was published in tandem and documents some of the most significant moments and changes of the last decade of the project.

The anniversary date may have passed, but the festivities and fun aren’t over. You can still join a meetup, sign the #WP20 From Blogs to Blocks campaign birthday card, or participate in #WP20 social celebrations.

Join Josepha Haden Chomphosy in Episode 55 of WP Briefing as she looks back at the 20 years of WordPress and how the community made WordPress what it is today.

WordPress 6.3 is expected on August 8

Work on WordPress 6.3 officially kicked off with the announcement of its development cycle and release squad. Set for release on August 8, 2023, this version will be the second major update of WordPress in 2023 and will mark the end of Phase 2 of the project’s development roadmap.

WordPress 6.3 aims to bring a cohesive site editing experience by introducing expanded functionality, richer interfaces, and a dedicated focus on refinement.

Check out the 6.3 roadmap post for a tentative preview of anticipated features.

WordPress 6.2.2 security release

WordPress 6.2.2 became available for download on May 20, 2023. This release was a quick response to resolve a regression introduced in 6.2.1, specifically with shortcode support in block templates, and to further patch a vulnerability already addressed in the previous version.

Update your site if you haven’t yet.

New in the Gutenberg plugin

Three new versions of Gutenberg have shipped in the last month:

• Gutenberg 15.7, released on May 3, 2023, brings a new direct option to upload and replace a site’s logo from the block settings sidebar. Other enhancements include easier access to duotone filter controls via the style settings sidebar and an update to fluid typography to refine responsiveness.
• Gutenberg 15.8 shipped on May 17, 2023, and includes a new “Pages” item in the Site Editor sidebar to edit pages without leaving the interface. Moreover, this version brings the ability to navigate through revisions in the global styles interface and to preview block themes inside the Site Editor.
• Gutenberg 15.9 is ready for download as of May 31, 2023. The latest Gutenberg release comes with a new command tool and several enhancements to the Site Editor experience, including a more intuitive drag-and-drop function for moving blocks.

The latest Core Editor Improvement post highlights features such as revisions and the ability to preview block themes, and how they enable a smoother site editing experience.

Team updates: Next-generation WordCamps, proposal for a Sustainability Team, and more

• The Community Team proposed broadening the purpose of WordPress events to “spark innovation and adoption by way of accessible training and networking.” This opens the door to organizing a more diverse range of formats focused on specific topics and audiences.
• WordPress contributors suggested creating an official Sustainability Team.
• The Polyglots Team rebranded the WP Translation Playground tool as Translate Live and announced improvements that make translating plugins and themes easier.
• The new WordPress Contributor Mentorship Program pilot aims to provide cohort-based and 1:1 mentorship to prepare new and aspiring contributors for success.
• Results of the 2022 WordPress Annual Survey were announced last month.
• The Training Team published a new course on Creating a 4-page business website. See What’s new on Learn WordPress in May 2023 for the latest learning resources.
• Meet Stacks—the first community theme born from the Community Themes initiative. This theme is designed for creating slide decks that can be used for a presentation.
• This Core proposal explores ways to reduce the maintenance of older default WordPress themes and retire them.
• The May 2023 issues of What’s New for Developers?, the Polyglots monthly newsletter, and the Meetup Organizer newsletter are available for reading.
• Find out how WordPress and its global community of contributors made a difference in Stefano Cassone’s life in the latest edition of People of WordPress.

What is WordPress Playground, and why it matters? WP Briefing Episode 56 discusses the benefits and potential of this tool with special guests Rich Tabor and Adam Zielinski.

Feedback & testing requests

• Core Team members seek feedback on the new command tool introduced in the Gutenberg plugin and its API.
• The latest call of the Full Site Editing (FSE) Outreach Program invites you to test some features being worked on to upgrade and polish the experience of using the Site Editor. Share your thoughts by June 8, 2023.
• Version 22.5 of the WordPress mobile app for iOS and Android is ready for testing.

Which next generation of WordPress events would you like to see? Share your ideas and start exploring new event formats this year.

WordPress events updates

• Get ready for WordCamp Europe 2023 from June 8-10 in Athens, Greece! The event will start with Contributor Day on June 8, followed by two days of presentations and workshops. Attendees can join a wellness track and a dedicated space to connect, among many other initiatives.
• The WordCamp US organizing team is calling for volunteers.
• For another year, the WordPress Foundation’s Kim Parsell Memorial Scholarship will award funding for a woman-identifying contributor to attend WordCamp US 2023. Applications are open through June 12, 2023.
• WordCamp Sylhet 2023, the second ever WordCamp in Bangladesh, was successfully held on May 19-20 with its first Contributor Day.
• Join #WPDiversity with a free online workshop on How to Own Your Expertise & Start Speaking at WordPress Events APAC. The event will take place on July 2, 2023.
• Don’t miss these other upcoming WordCamps:
  • WordCamp Cartagena, Spain on June 10-11, 2023
  • WordCamp Montclair, NJ, USA on June 24, 2023

Join WordPress project leadership on June 10 at WordCamp Europe 2023 to hear about the latest developments and what’s next for WordPress. Check out the schedule for details.

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The following folks contributed to this Month in WordPress: @rmartinezduque, @nahidsharifkomol, @chaion07, @devinmaeztri, @bsanevans, @ninianepress.

Join WordPress Executive Director Josepha Haden Chomphosy in the 57th episode of the WordPress Briefing as she discusses the Contributor Mentorship Program to help increase the success of new contributors over time.

Have a question you’d like answered? You can submit them to wpbriefing@wordpress.org, either written or as a voice recording.

Credits

Editor: Dustin Hartzler
Logo: Javier Arce
Production: Brett McSherry
Song: Fearless First by Kevin MacLeod

Show Notes

• WordCamp Europe 2023, Athens, Greece. This event includes a special Keynote from Matt Mullenweg, Josepha Haden Chomposy, and Matías Ventura.
•  WordPress Contributor Mentorship Program: Pilot Program Proposal 
• Make WordPress Community: Idea generation: Next Gen WordCamps!
• WordPress ‘Milestones’ volume two book Building Blocks: The Evolution of WordPress is available in several formats for download on GitHub.

Transcript

Read more: Episode 57: The Power of WordPress Mentorship

[Josepha Haden Chomphosy 00:00:00] 

(Intro music)

Hello everyone, and welcome to the WordPress Briefing, the podcast where you can catch quick explanations of the ideas behind the WordPress open source project, some insight into the community that supports it, and get a small list of big things coming up in the next two weeks. 

I’m your host, Joseph Hayden Chomphosy. Here we go!

(Intro music)

[Josepha Haden Chomphosy 00:00:40] 

Over the course of this year, there has been a lot of research and examination of the contributor funnel in the WordPress community. That research confirms some assumptions about what most contributor stories have in common: the hurdles, the general paths taken, and the way that problem-solving was done. Then in February of this year, Hari Shanker published a proposal for a mentorship program for WordPress. 

And now we’ve got a pilot program that’s been defined and is waiting for your feedback. If you’ve not read the post about the contributor mentorship program, for one do it. But if you would rather hear a synopsis from me, don’t worry, I’m about to give you a 10-cent tour. 

[Josepha Haden Chomphosy 00:01:22] 

First up, who is doing this? This pilot program has been outlined by a community working group. We often have working groups in WordPress, and they almost always have specific projects around events or programs, or code updates. Since this working group is focused on a project-wide program, there is project-wide representation in it. All the names are at the bottom of the post, which you can find in our show notes. But it’s got folks who contribute with code or contribute with time or contribute with design folks who are self-sponsored or corporately sponsored, just a nice mix of people. The program as a whole, though, is being stewarded by Hari Shankar, a longtime supporter of and contributor to WordPress. 

[Josepha Haden Chomphosy 00:02:06] 

So next, what is this for? There are a few goals for the program. But the overarching goal is to increase the success of new contributors over time. We can all agree that if we were to have 1000s of new contributors every day, but they couldn’t find their way to impactful contributions or meaningful connections quickly, then we would have done them a disservice. And they probably won’t continue to be part of the community without a bit more effort. 

The when and the where are essentially “right now and right here,” so that brings us finally to Why. Why are we doing this mentorship program? Apart from to help people who want to contribute have an easier path to success – which frankly is enough of a reason anyway – the why is wrapped up in our overall philosophies in the project. If we believe that good ideas can come from anywhere and that contributions of any size matter. And that open source is an idea that can change our generation and that we are democratizing publishing, then bringing new people brings new ideas, and beginner contributions can grow over time. We can maintain this idea, this concept of open source, into the next generation and to future generations. And always keep our sights on the open web. To learn more about this and other project-wide initiatives, swing by make.wordpress.org/project or check the links in today’s show notes on wordpress.org/news/podcast.

[Josepha Haden Chomphosy 00:03:53] 

Which brings us now to our small list of big things. 

[Josepha Haden Chomphosy 00:03:56] 

First on the list is WordCamp Europe. That’s coming up at the end of the week on June 8 through 10th in Athens, Greece. There will be a major update from Matt and friends, so even if you aren’t there in person, keep an eye out for those recordings. But for those who are there and you’re curious about the mentorship program or anything else to do with WordPress and contributing to the project, you can come find me or Angela Jin, Hari will also be there, Chloé will be there, Héctor will be there, lots of people, and we want to hear your thoughts and answer your questions. 

[Josepha Haden Chomphosy 00:04:27] 

Second is a call for brainpower! A call for your brainstorms! On the subject of the next generation, we’ve got a discussion going on about the next generation of WordCamps. We’ve been discussing what new types and varieties might be available, and that might make sense for people as we get back to in-person events. So if you’ve got a kind of WordCamp that you’ve been desperately wanting to try, now’s the time to let folks know about it. 

[Josepha Haden Chomphosy 00:04:54]

And the final thing is the second volume of The WordPress history book called Building Blocks: The Evolution of WordPress is now available for download in several formats as well as on GitHub. Stop buy, give it a read, and relive some of the highlights of the past ten years of the WordPress project. 

 [Josepha Haden Chomphosy 00:05:12]

And that, my friends, is your smallest of big things. Thanks for tuning in today for the WordPress Briefing. I’m your host Josepha Haden Chomposy, and I’ll see you again in a couple of weeks.

Since its debut last December, we’ve been improving WordPress.com Newsletter to meet the needs of writers and creators everywhere. Now we’re introducing a big update — the ability to add paid subscriptions and premium content, whatever plan you’re on. Including the Free plan.

Here’s the deal — you can now kickstart your newsletter without spending a penny, build your audience, and then add paid subscriptions into the mix at any point. It’s a great way to explore the shape of your newsletter without paying upfront while giving your readers a way to support your work at any point along the way. If you want to keep on growing, our paid plans provide lower transaction fees and all the features you need to manage and scale your newsletter and website. 

Let your readers fuel your creativity

Paid subscriptions let your fans support your art, writing, or project directly. Once your creativity has captivated your audience, there’s a good chance some of them will gladly give something back by supporting your work financially.

And it’s not an all-or-nothing game. You can still put out free posts to grow your readership, enable one-time tips and donations, or keep some of your content exclusive to subscribers.

Take more creative control

We’re all about giving writers and creators the power and flexibility to do things their own way.

From selecting beautiful visual themes, customizing them to make everything feel more like you, or turning your newsletter into a full-fledged website or store, you’ll save time, cut costs, and have a bunch fewer logins and browser tabs to navigate by keeping everything under one roof.

Then, as your newsletter flourishes, you can tap into a universe of plugins, themes, and design patterns with affordable upgrades, whenever the time’s right. That means you can scale smoothly from a free newsletter to one that starts helping you earn, without feeling penned in by a rigid plan or restricted features.

Kickstart your newsletter

Whether you’re thinking of starting up a paid newsletter from scratch or ready to take your existing one up a notch, there’s no better time than now.

Signing up for Newsletter is the quickest route to writing, publishing, and expanding your audience from scratch. And if you’re switching from another platform? No worries, you can bring existing subscribers along for the ride during the setup process.

Amplify an existing site with newsletter features

But you don’t need to start from zero. At WordPress.com, any site can add or become a newsletter. If you’ve been thinking about growing your audience, you’ve got the Subscribe Block and Newsletter Patterns at your disposal to get up and running quickly. They’re the perfect duo to transform a fleeting visit into a lasting bond.

Getting started

Once you’re all set up, introducing paid subscriptions or content gating to your newsletter is simple stuff. Whenever you publish a post, just tick a box to make any post available to everyone, subscribers-only, or just the paying ones.

Here’s how to get started:

1. Log in to your WordPress.com dashboard.
2. Click on “Earn” in the Tools section.
3. Set up a Stripe account to start receiving payments (or connect your existing account).
4. Configure your payment plan to establish your subscription fee and cadence.

Your readers will be able to pay for subscriptions directly from your site, with transaction fees as low as 10% of revenue on the Free plan, decreasing as you level up to our paid plans, down to a 0% fee on the Commerce plan. Payments are processed through Stripe and are available in the countries where Stripe is currently supported.

You’re in great company

With over 20 million emails sent out every day by WordPress.com to pretty much every country in the world, rest assured that your newsletter will land in your audience’s inbox reliably and securely. And as your audience grows, you can sit back comfortably knowing that WordPress.com is finely tuned to scale with your ambitions. However far you want to take things.

What’s next?

Newsletter is ever-evolving, and we’re always on the case refining the design, experience, and offerings for writers, creators, and publishers like you. We’re all ears for your ideas for our next steps in making it easier for more people to publish and earn from their work, without barriers to getting started.

With WordCamp Europe 2023 in June, we feature Stefano Cassone, a web designer, photographer and volunteer translator, who believes his life has been transformed through WordPress and its community.

The People of WordPress series shares inspiring stories of how people’s lives can change for the better through WordPress and its global community of contributors.

Stefano has always been fascinated by the internet. His initial learning in the 1990s was through joining friends at a local pub where they could explore how websites were structured and learn to use chat software.

This led to Stefano creating websites for fun in 1998, and his first paid job was for the shop where he bought comics. He turned to content management systems (CMS) to speed up the creation process for sites, but found he needed more documentation to really understand their capabilities. Then he read a magazine article about WordPress, a CMS which was being used to make incredible blog sites, and was supported by an international community and documentation. Over time, Stefano started using that documentation to work on websites in Italian.

WordPress provides a life-changing turning point 

Stefano describes himself as an introvert. He found that WordPress helped him to work from home, to develop his skills and the quality of what he could produce, as well as build his self-confidence. 

A catalyst for the turning point in his life and career was the discovery of an area for events on the WordPress dashboard. On this page, he found a forthcoming local meetup in Rome. 

In November 2017, Stefano took the step to go along to this event, led by a curiosity of what he might discover and intrigued by how a software could be supported by a vast community. The topic at the event was on WP-CLI, a command line interface for WordPress. He recalled that he felt outside his comfort zone as he did not regard himself as a developer and at that point, had only used the software for simple jobs. He wondered whether using the software as his only CMS was going to be a long term option and if these meetups were suitable for him.

At the meetup, people were talking about a forthcoming event, called WordCamp Rome. Through his research, he saw that there was a lot of enthusiasm for this event. This intrigued him and he wondered if it would show him that he could have a career using the software after all.

Unfamiliar with WordCamps, Stefano found it difficult at first to know what he could go to and how to get involved, but he persevered and attended the event.

“The WordCamp was a great discovery: talks at all levels from basic to those for developers, advanced and very advanced. I was immediately struck by the enthusiasm of the volunteers. It was an environment where I felt very comfortable, so much so, that I asked myself how I could participate in some WordCamps.”

Stefano Cassone

From this event, Stefano was encouraged by those he met to consider applying as a volunteer for a future WordCamp.

There was also much talk at the event about ‘Slack’. It was new to Stefano, but with help from those attending, he signed up for the messaging tool Slack, used by the WordPress community. He was still unsure how he could contribute, and if he would be welcome.

Joining thousands of volunteer translators of WordPress

Stefano took the plunge and was excited to find there was a team called Polyglots. In this team, people from across the world translate the WordPress software into many different languages. He started with translating a theme he was using in his work. Little by little he became more interested in plugins and attended meetings with other translators. He offered his skills to translate into Italian themes and plugins in general and as his experience grew, he took on the volunteer role of a General Translation Editor. He also took care of the translation into Italian of the WordPress Core. More recently he has joined the group of translators for the HelpHub, which is part of the WordPress documentation system.

He said: “Participating in the WordPress Slack has helped me enormously: I’ve met a lot of people who I now call friends. Moreover, by translating, I learned a lot about how themes and plugins work.

“It’s a great way to contribute to WordPress, especially for someone like me who is not a developer. Translating also allows me to fully understand how WordPress works.”

“I always say that translating themes, plugins, and the Core software is the best way to learn WordPress, better than any course or book.”

Stefano Cassone

Sharing skills to support Open Source WordPress

Stefano’s growing commitment to the open source WordPress project was further boosted through his volunteering. He was a volunteer at WordCamp Rome 2018 and participated there in his first Contributor Day where he had the opportunity to translate the software with others. 

He was also able to bring his own hobbies and skills to help the project grow and reach others. One example was his passion for photography, and he volunteered as a photographer for many other events in Italy organized by the WordPress community. He said: “This commitment to the community also allows me to have fun: being a photographer means having the opportunity to walk around the halls and capture moments of the life of a WordCamp.” The more WordCamps he attended, the more he wanted to be part of and keep contributing to the wider WordPress community.

Contribution to WordPress is inspiring

When Stefano was asked to become an organizer for the WordPress meetup in Rome in October 2019, he knew he wanted to be part of reaching and supporting more people in his area. He faced challenges with finding venues, but a greater issue was to come: the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Spurred on by the Italian WordPress community as a whole, he was determined that the meetup was still needed. The regular event was transformed into an online meeting. He was able to gain help from people he had met as a volunteer to share their expertise with meetup attendees. 

The community in Italy also worked together to put on WordCamp Italia online. It brought together the organizers of previous meetups and WordCamps, and new contributors too. Stefano volunteered in both online editions of this camp, including being part of the social and communication team. He found it to not only be a fun experience but also one that helped him grow professionally and learn from so many others.

He went onto help restart the Rome WordPress meetup in-person meetings in May 2022 and was an organizer for the third WordCamp Rome and volunteering for camps in 2023.

What will WordPress bring you?

“Persona and professional growth and friendship” are some of the things they have brought Stefano. Contributing boosted his confidence and willingness to try new opportunities in his work. 

He said: “The best thing I got out of joining the WordPress community was the chance to collaborate with some people on a working basis and, I have to say, that was incredible. Being with many of them you have an incredible opportunity to grow in knowledge, you just have to be ready to learn. With WordPress you never stop learning.”

His top recommendation is: “Join your local meetup or think about organizing one, it will introduce you to an amazing world. Don’t be afraid to meet people at WordCamps and Contributor Days, because you will learn more there than in dozens of courses. Talk to people at those events and don’t worry. The WordPress community is inclusive so you’ll always feel welcome, and you will see enthusiasm like you’ve never seen at other IT events. Sign-up and get involved.”

Share the stories

Help share these stories of open source contributors and continue to grow the community. Meet more WordPressers in the People of WordPress series.

Contributors

Thanks to Stefano Cassone (@deadpool76) for sharing about his adventures in WordPress.

Thank you to Abha Thakor (@webcommsat), the late Surendra Thakor (@sthakor) and Meher Bala (@meher) for interviews, writing the feature and collaborating on images, to Chloe Bringmann (@cbringmann), Mark Smallman (@marks99), Nalini Thakor (@nalininonstopnewsuk), Mary Baum (@marybaum), and Maja Loncar (@majaloncar) for help with reviews.

The People of WordPress series thanks Josepha Haden (@chanthaboune) and Topher DeRosia (@topher1kenobe) for their support.